Trap



L. J. CHEEK Dec. 7,1937.

TRAP

Original Filed Dec. 5, 1935 Patented Dec. 7, 1937 PATENT OFFICE TRAP Lightle J. Cheek, Little Rock, Ark., assignor of one-third to H. M. Cheek, North Little Rock, Ark., and one-third to Golden Blount, Searcy.

Ark.

Application December 5, 1935. Serial-No. 53,071 Renewed September 9, 1937 4 Claims.

This invention relates to traps for catching rats and other rodents, one of the objects being to provide a trap which will be reset by the trapped rodent so that it is possible to catch a number of the rodents without requiring the attention of the user.

A further object is to provide a trap which is simple in construction and will not easily get out of order.

With the foregoing and other objects in view which will appear as the description proceeds, the invention consists of certain novel details of construction and combinations of parts hereinafter more fully described and pointed out in be made in the construction and arrangement of parts without. departing from the spirit of the invention as claimed.

In the accompanyingv drawing the preferred form of the invention has been shown.

In said drawing Figure 1 is a horizontal section through the trap. Figure 2 is a vertical longitudinal section.

Referring to the figures by characters of reference, I designates the base of the trap having side walls 2, a back wall 3 and a front wall 4. The walls can be made of sheet metal, wire mesh, or any other suitable material. The top 5 is preferably of a wire mesh.

The interior of the trap is divided by a transverse partition 6 into a bait compartment 1 and a retaining compartment 8. An inlet opening 9 is provided in wall 4 and side guards III preferably of wire mesh are provided in compartment 1 at the sides of opening 9, these guards extending from base I to top 5. A cross rod II is rotatably supported by the guards and pivoted thereon is a gate I2 having a counterbalance I3 at one end while its other end is adapted to bear on base I and close the passage between the lower portions of the guards. The space between the upper portions of the guards can be closed by a shield I 4.

Rod II has a lifting arm I5 supported in compartment 1 outside of the space between guards I0 and is preferably in the same plane. with the gate. Another rod I6 is secured'to and projects laterally from the gate, one .of the projecting ends overlying the arm I5.

An opening I1 is formed in partition 6 back of opening 9 and has guard plates I8 extending from the sides thereof back into compartment 8. These guards extend from base I to top 5 and define a passage I9 which is normally closed at the back by a light gate 20, preferably of wire the claims, it being understood that changes may mesh and which is pivoted on a rod 2I at its upper end while its lower end bears on base I, thereby holding the gate in an inclined position from which it can be raised easily by the pressure of a rodent from .within the passage I9. 5

A pivot rod 22 extends across the passage I9 and is supported by the guards I8. On this rod are supported superposed tiltable plates 23 and 24 each of which is capable of a limited tilting movement relative to the other. The plate 23 is a resetting plate and has spaced resetting arms 25 extending therefrom. The arms are spaced apart so as to receive the gate I2 between them and they are extended under the ends of rod I 6.

Plate 24 is the tripping plate and has an elongated arm 26 the end of which overlies gate I2 when said gate is in any position. Counterweight I3 is of sufiicient weight to hold arm 26 in raised position. A bait finger or hook 21 is extended from the arm 26 and located in compartment 1 close to opening I1.

-B0th'.0f the plates 23 and 24 with their arms 25 and 26 are nearly balanced on rod 22 and are freely tiltable in the passage I9.

A lid 28 isused for closing an opening in the top of compartment 1 and another opening, located over the passage I9, is normally closed by a basket 29 which is of wire mesh and hung within the passage. The'top of the basket is closed by a plate 36. This basket can'be used for suspending bait in thepassage or, if preferred; bait B can be attached to the hook or finger 21.

In practice bait is placed on hook or finger 21 and/or in basket 29. A crank arm (H at one end of rod II is pulled upwardly by a lifting wire or the like and will cause arm I5 to lift rod I6, gate I2 and arm 26 to the positions shown by full lines in Figure 2. To raise the gate it is necessary that arms 25 lift rod I6. The counterbalanced gate I2 will stay raised or open and will hold plate 24 tilted downwardly and rearwardly while arms 25 will drop by gravity and bring plate 23 to the full line position shown.

.A rodent entering opening 9 will pass under the raised gate I2 and when it pulls on bait B on finger 21, the arm 26 will be swung downwardly, thereby overbalancing gate I2 and causing it to close. Should the rodent endeavor to reach bait in basket 29 it would either press down on arm 26 or on plate 24. In either case the gate I2 would be closed.

Finding itself trapped the rodent endeavors to escape by the gate 20. To reach this door the rodent must pass over plates 23'and 24 and as-it reaches the gate 20 to push it open, it depresses both tiltable plates. This causes arm 26 to move upwardly away from gate l2 and the arms to push upwardly on the ends of the rod l6. Thus as the rodent passes under the opened gate 20 into compartment 8, said gate will drop shut behind it while, at the same time, the door l2 will be swung open. Thus the trap is reset and ready to receive another rodent.

What is claimed is:

1. A trap including a receiving compartment, a bait compartment having an outlet into the receiving compartment and an inlet, guards at the sides of the inlet and outlet, a counterbalanced gate pivotally mounted between the guards at the inlet, a pivoted gate normally closed by gravity between the guards'at the outlet, a tripping plate and a resetting plate tiltably mounted in superposed relation between the guards at the outlet, a bait carrying arm extending from the tripping plate and overlying the inlet gate, a resetting arm on the resetting plate, and means on the inlet gate and overlying the resetting arm for actuation by said arm to open the inlet gate.

2. A trap including a receiving compartment, a bait compartment having an outlet into the receiving compartment and an inlet, a counterbalanced gate pivotally mounted at the inlet, a pivoted gate normally closed by gravity at the outlet, a tripping plate and a resetting plate tiltably mounted in superposed relation at the outlet, a bait carrying arm extending from the tripping plate and overlying the inlet gate, a resetting arm on the resetting plate, and means on the inlet gate and overlying the resetting arm for actuation by said arm to open the inlet gate.

3. A trap including a receiving compartment, a bait compartment having an outlet into the receiving compartment and an inlet, a counterbalanced gate pivotally mounted at the inlet, a pivoted gate normally closed by gravity at the outlet, a tripping plate and a resetting plate tiltably mounted in superposed-relation at the outlet, a bait carrying arm extending from the tripping plate and overlying the inlet gate, a resetting arm on the resetting plate, and means on the inlet gate and overlying the resetting arm for actuation by said arm to open the inlet gate, a lifting arm mounted to swing relative to the inlet gate, means for actuating said arm, and means on the gate for engagement by the arm to open the gate.

4. A trap including a receiving compartment, a bait compartment having an outlet into the receiving compartment and an inlet, a counterbalanced gate pivotally mounted at the inlet, a pivoted gate normally closed by gravity at the outlet, a tripping plate and a resetting plate tiltably mounted in superposed relation at the outlet, a bait carrying arm extending from the tripping plate and overlying the inlet gate, a. resetting arm on the resetting plate, and means on the inlet gate and overlying the resetting arm for actuation by said arm to open the inlet gate.

LIGHTLE J. CHEEK. 

